Pope promotes Maltese archbishop known for fighting pedophilia

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Tuesday promoted the Archbishop of Malta, one of the church's most trusted investigators in pedophile priest cases, as the Vatican seeks to quell a damaging global sex abuse scandal.

Msgr. Charles Scicluna, 59, has been appointed adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog that receives reports of sex abuse in the church, the Holy See said in a statement.

Scicluna is already the head of the congregation's special council examining appeals by priests suspected of serious crimes such as child sex abuse.

He was the Vatican Court's chief prosecutor investigating cases of pedophilia among priests for a decade until 2012, making a name for himself with his determination.

Scicluna allowed an investigation into Father Marcial Maciel, Mexican founder of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ and the perpetrator of numerous cases of pedophilia.

Earlier this year, the pope dispatched Scicluna to Chile for an investigation into an alleged cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros of abuse by a pedophile priest during the 1980s and 1990s. Barros has since resigned, along with several other Chilean bishops.

Pope Francis has called for a meeting of all the heads of Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide at the Vatican in late February to discuss the issue of the "protection of minors". — Agence France-Presse